prioress

American  

[prahy-er-is] / ˈpraɪ ər ɪs /

noun

1. a woman holding a position corresponding to that of a prior, sometimes ranking next below an abbess.

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prioress British  

/ ˈpraɪərɪs /

noun

1. a nun holding an office in her convent corresponding to that of a prior in a male religious order

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Gender

See -ess.

Other Word Forms

• subprioress
  noun

Etymology

Origin of prioress

1250–1300; Middle English prioresse < Old French. See prior ², -ess

Explanation

The head of a group of nuns is a prioress. Geoffrey Chaucer immortalized this figure by including The Prioress's Tale as one of his 14th-century Canterbury Tales. In the hierarchy of religious figures at a Carmelite or Dominican monastery, a group of nuns is lead by a prioress, whose superior is called an abbess. The male version of these ranks are prior and abbot, leaders who preside over a group of Catholic monks.

Example Sentences

The prioress of the order had taken her to meet the friar Robert, who was visiting from the Carmelite priory in Oxford, to see if he wanted anything to eat.

From BBC • Jan. 1, 2023

“This could be the prioress, or maybe someone in the Dominican order who is over her, though it is possible archdiocesan officials have weighed in on the matter informally.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2021

When “Matrix” opens, Marie, all of 17 years old, is appointed prioress of a dilapidated abbey, founded centuries earlier, where a few nuns remain scavenging for food.

From Washington Post • Aug. 30, 2021

On this night the soprano Deborah Polaski, 66, who has been a leading Wagnerian soprano, gave an overwhelming performance as the fatally ill prioress, singing with penetrating sound and dark colorings.

From New York Times • Jul. 27, 2015

I kneel before the prioress of St Emilion so that I see only the broad swath of her simple habit edged in green velvet Crossing my arms over my chest I avoid her gaze.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Related Words

• sister